Oldest House, Saint Augustine

the gonzalez-alverez house is the oldest spanish colonial dwelling in florida. the site has been occupied since the 1600's and the present structure was built in the early 1700's. the gonzalez-alverez house is on the national register of historic places. admission to the oldest house also includes entrance to the manucy museum, the tovar house, and the page l. edwards gallery.

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The González-Alvarez House is the oldest surviving Spanish Colonial dwelling in Florida. There has been a house on the site since the 17th century, and this structure sometime between 1702, when British colonists from South Carolina burned the town, and 1727. Visitors began touring the house in 1893. A National Historic Landmark.

There is a fee to tour the home and museums. Nancy and I did not choose to take the tour, so only viewed the house from the street.

The Oldest House is just that - it's the oldest known European dwelling in North America. The guides here give a really thorough - though quick tour of the house that includes two hundred years of history. Probably the most famous resident of the house was Maria Evans Fenwick - - the book Maria by Eugenia Price was loosely based on her time in Saint Augustine.
The Oldest House is more than just a novelty for Price fans, though. From the coquina rock walls to the in-house tavern, to the very innovative water filtration system, the house is amazing. Well worth the visit.

The Gonzalez-Alvarez House originally is known as the oldest house of America. The house has a long history, starting as a Spanish house in 1565. In 1568 it was burned by the English under Sir Francis Drake and sacked by English pirates in 1668. In 1702 the house burned again by English troops from Carolina.

Read more in the two Travelogues

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How do you find the oldest house in St. Augustine? Look for the sign that says, "The Oldest House."

OK, the González-Alvarez House is the oldest surviving Spanish house in Florida. The site has been continuously occupied by Europeans since the 1600s, and the present coquina stone structure was built in 1702.

Admission is $8 for adults.

Next door are the Oldest House Museum Shop and the historic Tovar House.



The historic marker in front of the Gonzalez Alvarez House Reads:

GONZALEZ-ALVAREZ
HOUSE
(THE OLDEST HOUSE)

For more than three centuries this site has been
occupied by St. Augustinians. Beginning about 1650
a succession of thatched wooden structures were
their homes. This coquina stone house was built
soon after the English burned St. Augustine in 1702,
and originally was a one-story rectangle with with two
rooms. As times changed during the Spanish,
British and American occupations, a wooden second
story, an off-street porch, and other features
were added. Preserved by St. Augustine Historical
Society since 1918. The house became a registered
national landmark in 1970.

Sponsored by the St. Johns County Historical Commission
in cooperation with the Department of State

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Known as the Gonzalez-Alvarez House, its walls date to 1727, but the site has been occupied since the 1600s. The house, located at 14 St. Francis St., was expanded from the Spanish style by both British and American occupants (it is a National Historic Landmark).

It's a great way to understand why there are Spanish and British flags waving next to the American flag all over town. The tour is excelent... explains every single detail, especially the way the house was built and re-built and so on.

While in St. A, you have to visit all of the historic sites! The oldest house is very interesting! This house has been continuously occupied by Europeans and Americans since the early 1600's. The house has been around for 400 years (which is old in America!) and has been through many changes, but the original walls still stand and help to form the downstairs area. The upstairs was added later. You can almost feel the ghosts of the people past that have lived here.

Visit the Oldest House - the Gonzalez-Alvarez House.
This house is one of the best-documented and most studied houses. The site of the oldest house has been continuously occupied since the early 1600’s. The first house was a crude building of logs and boards. This was replaced by a building made of coquina stone, which is a native shell stone. This is found across the bay on Anastasia Island. The original walls of the ancient house now form part of today’s “Oldest House”. Gonzalez y Hernandez an artilleryman from the fort lived in the house. Church records show that one of his children died in the house in 1727. later, when St Augustine was taken by the British, Major Peavett lived in the house until he died and then his wife (who remarried) stayed on in the house. Her second husband was a gambler and because of his debts the house had to be sold in 1790. It was bought by a Spaniard Alvarez and he and his family lived in it for almost 100 years. From 1882 the house had several owners before it was bought for the St Augustine Historical Society in 1918.

In Europe, a four hundred house would be no big deal... Here in America, it's pretty fascinating... Have a look for yourself.